“anything,” “anywhere,” “anyone” in Japanese

8 comments

How to Say “Anything,” “Anywhere,” and “Anyone” in Japanese – Review Notes

In our last grammar lesson, we learned how to say words like “nothing,” “nowhere,” and “no one” in Japanese.

daremo nanimo dokomo itsumo

Continuing the theme, today we focused on what we call “any” words, words like “anything” and “anywhere,” in Japanese.

any words

We learned that you can make a “any” word by adding でも (demo) to a question word and using it in a positive sentence!

In these video review notes we will learn more information about today’s grammar and see some more examples!

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How to make ‘any’ words in Japanese:

create any words

 To make an ‘any’ word in Japanese, you add も (demo) to the end of a question word.

 A slight exception to this rule is the word なに (nani – what) which changes to なんでも (nandemo – anything).

positive statement

 ‘any’ words are always used with a positive statement.

dare demo

 だれ (dare) means who in Japanese.

 だれでも (dare demo) means anyone or whoever.

dare demo dekimasu

 For example, だれでもできます (dare demo dekimasu) meansAnyone can do it.’

doko demo

 どこ (doko) means where in Japanese.

 どこでも (doko demo) means anywhere or wherever.

doko demo ii desu

 For example, どこでもいいです。 (doko demo ii desu.) meansAnywhere is fine.’

itsu demo

 いつ (itsu) means when in Japanese.

 いつでも (itsu demo) means anytime or whenever.

itsu demo ikemasu

 For example, いつでも行けます。 (itsu demo ikemasu) means ‘I can go anytime.’

nandemo

 なに (nani) means what in Japanese.

 なんでも (nan demo) means anything or whatever.

nandemo tabemasu

 For example, なんでも食べます。 (nandemo tabemasu) means ‘I eat anything.’

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Extra Examples

Number 1:

だれでも行けます。

Dare demo ikemasu.

Anyone can go.

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Number 2:

なんでもします。

Nan demo shimasu.

I will do anything.

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Number 3:

どこでもできます。

Doko demo dekimasu.

(You) can do it anywhere.

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Number 4:

いつでもいいです。

Itsu demo ii desu.

Anytime is fine.

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Conclusion:

Today we learned the Japanese words for “anything,” “anywhere,” “anyone,” and “anytime.”

Do you know how to say “something,” “someone,” and “somewhere” in Japanese? Check out this Japanese grammar lesson to learn how!

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8 comments

  1. The video translated “I eat anything” as “nan demo tabemasu.” But it left out the particle (w)o. Does that mean you don’t need (w)o when “nan demo” is the object of the sentence?

    Comment by Stewart on 10/02/2013 at 2:31 am
  2. That is correct! When using “any” words like “nan demo” you should leave out any additional particles like を (o). (◕ω<)b♪

    Comment by PuniPuni on 10/02/2013 at 4:26 am
  3. is it right to use nan demo as “what ever” ; like if you don’t care about something and say nan demo ?
    ARIGATOU GOZAIMASU (^-^)

    Comment by iltimass on 06/19/2014 at 10:12 am
  4. It depends on the situation, but yes it can be used like that. For example, if someone asks you what you want to eat today, you can reply with “nan demo” (anything/whatever). Be aware that this is casual speech. If you want to make it more formal you should say “nan demo ii desu” (anything/whatever is good).

    Comment by PuniPuni on 06/21/2014 at 5:50 am
  5. what is the difference between shimasu and dekimasu

    Comment by Noman on 08/08/2014 at 2:03 am
  6. dekimasu is the potential form of shimasu. In English, it is similar to “can (do)~”
    For example, you could say 私はテニスをします。(watashi wa tenisu o shimasu) – I play tennis.
    Or, you could say 私はテニスができます。(watashi wa tenisu ga dekimasu) – I can play tennis.

    Comment by PuniPuni on 08/15/2014 at 7:28 pm
  7. daredemo nihongo dekimasu is it correct?

    Comment by Pops on 10/27/2014 at 8:22 am
  8. It’s better to say 誰でも日本語が話せます (daredemo nihongo ga hanasemasu) – “Anyone can speak Japanese.”

    Comment by PuniPuni on 10/30/2014 at 9:15 am

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